Top Tips for Opening Your Speech
Open with a Bang! Not a Whimper!
The opening of your speech is designed to do one thing:
Get the audience’s attention so that they will want to hear more.
You can do this by incorporating the following options:
1. Go straight into a story from your very first word. I almost always go straight into my story because it connects with the audience.
2. Ask a powerful question. Questions make your audience think. When they are thinking about your question, they are with you and the connection deepens.
3. Use a startling statement that shocks your audience from their seats.
4. Say nothing at all. Just stand there and stare. That sound of silence – the long pause – creates interest. Try the pause and remember, “He who sleeps in noise awakens in silence”.
5. Use an Activity. You can do this, but I always feel that you can lose impact through the physical disruption that an activity can bring. So, if you do use an activity - use it wisely - because your aim is to ensure that your audience is open to receive your message in body, mind and spirit.
